


Blurring the Lines

by Herwhereabouts



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Shadowhunters (TV) RPF, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Gen, M/M, Sherdario
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-11-29 14:11:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11442528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herwhereabouts/pseuds/Herwhereabouts
Summary: Dom knows that he and Matt will always be balanced and honest with each other, because they've got their roles.Dom isn't expecting Matt to forget his lines.9/30: On hiatus indefinitely. Real life kicked me in the butt and I completely lost the thread of continuity for this fic. Opened up the doc and plead for the muse to come back for 2 weeks, but it hasn't and doesn't feel like it will. I am so sorry about this! Hopefully it makes a comeback soon.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is all fake, for fun, not real, no harm intended. Etc, etc. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it! A second part is likely, but I don't know when that will be. I won't leave this unfinished. Promise! :)

Dom’s first mistake is thinking that Matt is a cute little bumpkin of a potato, and that no matter how far Dom pushes and teases him, Matt will giggle adorably and bat Dom away, minimally flustered. Completely harmless. Matt will keep them balanced and centered. 

Where Dom pushes the envelope, Matt makes sure that some decorum is maintained at all times. “We’re not heathens, Dominic,” Matt tuts for what is perhaps the nth time, eyes belying the mirth that he often hides behind his impressive deadpan and placid facade. 

To say that Dom is not expecting Matt to call him on his bullshit and make him pay up is a bit of an understatement. Matt is their navigator and great equalizer - going rogue and jumping into the play with Dom is not a part of the equation. Dom is the one testing the various spectrums and polarities with a curiosity that is not entirely healthy.

During season three promo interviews, the interviewer gushes about how she loves their chemistry on the show, how they click so well together, and how unique their storyline is. It gets a little flowery and overly congratulatory, but Dom sticks with the script and says, “Thank you, thank you. It’s all me, honestly. I bring that element of magic into the relationship. That unique quality.” He winks at Matt and says, “Matt’s just got a good face, so it works. He’s not terrible to work with.”

Matt rolls his eyes fondly and says, “Not true. It’s the both of us. We just kind of… vibe very well together.” 

The interviewer’s eyes light up further and she blurts, “Can we get a kiss, then? Everyone on the show has, at some point, and I believe there is a kiss shared between the parabatai in the books that might not make it on the show…?” She reddens and fidgets a little towards the end of her question, but Dom claps and cheers so loudly that her discomfort melts after a second. 

“Yes! Yes, we can, I am all in,” Dom says, eager and gleeful in a way that feels very dangerous in a toeing-at-the-edge-of-a-precipice kind of way. He’s been doing so well, being a good, honest, supportive friend. A best friend, even. So well at not letting himself get what he wants, because he knows better. 

But Matt will guide them back to safer territory, like he’s always done, and this little window of opportunity will be nothing more than a funny memory for Dom to recount later. Dom trusts Matt to guard the line of delineation they have drawn in their friendship with the utmost sincerity and aplomb. 

This situation does not go like that, however. 

Matt shrugs his shoulders magnanimously, spreads his hands open in a gesture befitting a king leisurely addressing his guests, and says, “Sure. Why not?” 

Dom’s mouth gapes open unattractively without his consent a second before he says, “Really?” His face is probably vacillating between amusement, surprise, and some apprehension. This was not in the cards, but Dom is a good actor, so he will get his shit together and roll with this new script.

The look that Matt briefly gives him conveys that he is making it a big deal and that it isn’t, clearly. “I mean, what’s the harm? Are you worried you’re a bad kisser?” The teasing lilt in his voice and the arch of Matt’s eyebrow is the thrown gauntlet, and Dom loves nothing more than a dare. There is a camera in front of them. There will be videos later, blasted all over the internet. In gifs, and tumblrs, and God knows what else. The cast will never let them forget it. Dom will suffer, but he already kind of is, if he is being honest with himself for just once during the past three odd years. Might as well make it worth it a little bit. 

“Okay, fine, let's do it,” Dom says, shrugging his shoulders coolly, and with all bluster, bravado and smirk in place, he gets up from his seat with a purpose - they are sat across from each other - and takes two steps towards Matt. Who is smiling up at him like a fucking angel, the liar. Like this is fun. Dom snorts out a laugh and tilts Matt’s face up none-too-gently, his stomach suddenly tight - feeling like he’s going to be a little bit sick. The gasps and the shouts of “Do it!” from Isaiah and Berto in the background get drowned out by the loud echoing sound of his own heartbeat. 

This doesn't feel funny anymore. They're two trapeze artists without a rope, flying through the air like kamikazes, because Matt forgot to back down. Matt doesn’t forget things. 

“Ready?” Dom asks somewhat sarcastically and belatedly, before he leans down and Matt leans up a little from his seat, still perfecting a visage of total calm and amusement. Dom’s grin sharpens, danger coiling wildly in his breast. 

At the first light brush of their lips, Matt sighs softly into the kiss, some foreign tension releasing from him without care. Dom knows that he’ll store that away for later consideration and drive himself mad with it. Almost clumsily, one of Matt’s hands finds purchase around Dom’s wrist and his fingers flex and bite into Dom’s skin. 

When Matt tries to minutely push harder into the kiss, Dom doesn’t let him, and keeps it chaste. He keeps cataloging all of Matt’s little tells for later, dizzy with the discovery of his own wants perhaps being reciprocated. 

The sound from someone uproariously hollering and clapping behind him brings Dom back to the present moment with a slight start. He brushes their lips lightly together a few more times like they're young again, and pulls back with a triumphant grin plastered all over his face and for the cameras and their shrieking audience. Matt’s eyes are bright and something seems unmoored in them, when Dom chances looking at him. Dom taps him on the cheek goodnaturedly before completely pulling back and into his seat. 

He hears Matt chuckle and can spot him drop his red face into his hands for a second from the corner of his eyes, and there go another thousand fangirls swooning and falling dead at his feet. 

The rest of the interview is a blur. The next thing he knows, they're switching with Berto and Isaiah, who both fistbump him and fan themselves comically when they take their seats. “Bro, that was, like, so sweet but so hot,” Berto says, grinning, and Dom nonchalantly shrugs and agrees, his smile crooked and a little off. 

Matt is in the corner of the room already, talking with a set designer about something with great focus and concentration, when Dom approaches him. Dom stands next to him for a few seconds, but when Matt doesn’t react and just keeps on going on about the light and the angles and whatnot, Dom suddenly feels the heat of rejection and confusion rise through his chest and into his tightening throat. So silly. He says, “Later, mate,” and bolts from the studio as though hellhounds are chasing him. 

All of whatever that was, can’t mean anything, Dom knows. They love each other too much to do something so stupid as to fuck around, only to break the delicate balance of their relationship when they finally confirm and settle on the fact that they are two incongruous pieces that are better off staying as separate islands. They would drive each other mad, Dom thinks inanely. 

Dom is probably reading too much into everything and making it a big deal. He’s kissed some mates before as a joke or as a drunken show of affection, and nothing changed between them. Matt’s seen him do that, a time or two. 

Matt is probably back at his house, studying up on the delicate care and maintenance of unseasonal vegetation and horticulture, while Dom’s handwringing like a lovesick schoolgirl and thinking about having a drink in the middle of the afternoon.

With the distinct feeling that he is acting like an idiot, Dom decides to forget about the whole thing and texts Will for a lunch date. 

As he gets into Will’s car, he realizes that he’s forgotten his phone at home, but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t want to potentially talk to Matt when he’s feeling raw and doesn’t have his mask in place. 

He doesn’t want to hear Matt completely gloss over it, or disregard it, or apologize to Dom like the saint he is, for Dom’s own unreciprocated feelings for him. 

They have a night shoot starting at around 7, so he’s got enough time to effect an air of unconcerned normalicy. The both of them will probably get ribbed by the girls and guys, and that very thought has him slipping fully into a role that he’s played many times before. 

Will eyes him with some understanding and asks, “You okay?” 

Dom frowns around a smile and says, “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” 

And almost believes it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't have time to finish this up! A third chapter is coming, and that is a promise. 
> 
> This is from Matt's POV because he is a fascinating guy and I wanted to get into his head and see if I could read him. If anything feels too OOC, please forgive me. I've got a better grasp on Dom, but I wanted to play around with Matt's POV. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope this has been enjoyable!

Isaiah is positively radiating smugness as he poses for instagram pics that he takes of himself, standing in front of the mirror while Matt is waiting to get his runes stickied on.

“Matt, Matt, Matt… you have been _so_ good to me, baby.” He points to the graphic on the t-shirt in the next pic he snaps, mouth open in faux-surprise. Harry had taken a couple of pics with him, as well as the girls. Most of the cast had. 

Matt's private shame was complete and unsurprising in its efficiency.

Matt lets Isaiah do his thing with only some exasperation and a lot of fondness. Leave it to Isaiah to turn one of the more embarrassing things that Matt has ever done in public into an opportunity to raise money for a charity that is close to his heart.

The only catch is that all of the money that is being donated to the charity comes from a t-shirt that depicts his and Dom’s faces, during their little smooch. There are pink hearts scattered all over the shirt. It looks like the cover of a harlequin romance novel. Dom is cupping the back of his head and they both look like they’re semi-giggling in the kiss. Matt can’t remember experiencing anything slightly or even remotely humorous during the entire exchange, since he was so focused on not spilling out his guts and his secrets in front of an audience after the initial surprise wore off. It didn’t seem to work, anyway.

Matt wanted to see if his feelings were coming from a more deeper place, since he’s only ever really been in love with one other person in his life, and she had been his best friend since childhood. (In hindsight, it might not have been the right time to take a chance, live and in front of cameras.)

His barometer for differentiating between what he’s feeling has never really been that great. Is it deep affection or was he genuinely in love? The last time he was in love with somebody, he came an inch away from marriage. People flirt with him and tease him all the time, and sometimes he teases back, but it never gets deeper than that for him. He’s called eccentric, easygoing and unique, and maybe that’s a lot for other people to deal with.

Either way, Dom’s not like him. (Dom is all feelings whereas Matt is speculation and analysis.)

Matt might’ve stood a chance if Dom was not the living embodiment of a total flirt - might’ve made sense of him and their relationship then. Dom’s easy affection towards all of his friends, and his sly, coy looks; his carefree laughter and gentle hands. Dom’s that way with everyone. Matt always played it off in a bid of self-preservation and a reminder that it was game of sorts.

Matt thinks they might’ve adopted and taken the parabatai storyline a bit too far and accidentally mirrored it in their actual lives, but it was too late to course-correct at that point. Each time Dom would seek him out after a heavy or draining scene, to slump down next to him and put his head on Matt’s shoulder, Matt thought it was too late. Each time Matt let Dom banter with him with increasing fervor and heat, Dom’s eyes bright and alive with his profound depth of stubborn, sparking emotion, his arms gesticulating wildly while he got closer and closer in Matt’s face. Always getting closer, always trying to suss and parse Matt out and pick apart the pieces like some overzealous archeologist.

Matt used to find it a little irritating (when they first met), but then Matt morphed into this new, competitive person, debating with increasing gusto and giving back as good as he got; his blood warming up with an entirely foreign thrill newly coursing through him as a pilgrim.

Dom was delighted with him the first time Matt snapped and pushed him back, after their second training for their first fight scene together. After Dom had just done him dirty and come close to kneeing him in the balls again. Matt can’t remember when he pushed Dom back - forgoing their fight script yet again - and flipped him to the ground with more force than necessary, his breathing labored and Dom’s taunting still fresh in his ears.

Dom’s lips were wet and pink as Matt watched him smile through his laboured breathing and wheezing laughter. Dom placed one of his hands over the one that Matt had on his heaving chest, and slapped Matt on the cheek with the other, gifting him with another silent insult. They were sweaty and reeked, but Dom said with some appreciation, “ _Nice moves_ , Daddario. Now get your big ass up so I can catch my breath.” Matt had huffed out a laugh and fallen down on the padded floor next to him, outwardly fine but inwardly reeling.

The brilliant red flare that had shot up into the skies as they had looked at each other and rounded in on each other as animals should’ve been a sign. Matt doesn’t know how he missed it. He might be many things, but stupid and blind is definitely not one of them.

Matt snaps back to the present moment when the door to the trailer opens up and Isaiah trills out a, “Hey, loverboy. Nice to see you made it!” Dom has sunglasses on and a rogue smile curling at the edge of his lips, the action entirely perfunctory in Isaiah’s presence.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be other than here? Maybe doing your job?” Dom asks Isaiah conversationally while he makes his way to the seat beside Matt, not stopping to greet him, but a touch lands on Matt’s shoulder briefly before he moves away, and Matt is more relieved than he can say.

“As you know, I’m trying to raise some money for a charity that is near and dear to my heart,” Isaiah says cheekily, but the sincerity is not hard to miss in his words, “so I was wondering if you would like to buy a couple of these lovely shirts and help the children out. $20 bucks a pop. All going towards a good cause.” Dom rolls his eyes but also takes out his wallet before Isaiah has even finished with his little spiel.

“Matt already bought ten, and wants to buy more, being the charitable angel that he is,” Isaiah sneakily adds on. Matt is forever impressed and in awe of Isaiah and how merciless he can be.

“How many do you have left?” Dom asks casually, taking out a couple of hundred dollar bills. Isaiah’s eyes widen and he says, “I’m almost sold out, but I’ve got about fifteen left.” Dom gives him the cash, Isaiah gives him a couple of t-shirts and promises to deliver the rest to him by tomorrow morning. Dom shoos him away after that, and they sit in silence.

Matt wants Isaiah to come back and turns around and almost calls after him, but then clicks his mouth shut. Dom catches him looking at the closed door like a stranded man at sea reaching towards a lifejacket, when he straightens back into his seat. Matt wishes Dom hadn’t taken off his sunglasses.

The look on Dom’s face is indescribable - pieces and parts of various emotions dancing and morphing in signals that Matt can’t quite read. Can never decipher.

But a second later, Dom cracks a grins and says, “Hey, buddy,” all casually carefree and halfheartedly cheeky, and Matt thinks, _Great, we’re about to lie to each other._

Matt feels like they’ve both stepped on a landmine, and will continue to act oblivious until the damned thing self-implodes and takes them both down in the aftermath.

He huffs out a frustrated breath and is about to say something, anything, when the makeup artist comes in, with Emeraude trailing behind her.

Tonight, Matt thinks. He’ll talk to Dom tonight. He doesn’t know how staying distant from Dom looks like, and never wants to find out.

 

TBC


End file.
